Docs: Man leaves jail, walks to nearby Indy gas station, kills man while stealing his car

INDIANAPOLIS — Less than two hours after his discharge from Marion County’s Jail, a Greenfield man stands accused of a deadly carjacking at a nearby gas station.

Chad Martin, 33, was charged with one count of murder and one count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury in the fatal ordeal that unfolded about 2:30 p.m. at a gas station on the southeast side of Indianapolis, less than a mile from the jail, according to court records.

According to new details, Martin was captured on surveillance video entering a parked Toyota Camry at a gas station and attempting to drive away. The owner of the car, identified as Shane Christian Coffman, 51, told police he left the car running with the keys inside while he went inside the store. He ran outside and tried to stop the robbery, grabbing the driver-side window.

Coffman was dragged 30 yards through the gas station parking lot before striking a pump and falling to the ground, according to court records filed Tuesday.

An officer patrolling nearby heard Coffman calling for help from the gas station parking lot. Emergency medical personnel took Coffman to a hospital, where he died from trauma-related injuries.

Police said surveillance video from the gas station showed the driver who stole the car fleeing south on Rural Street. Speedway officers located the car near Holt Road, roughly 9 miles away, and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as Martin, the records state. He was wearing the same clothing as the suspected robber in the gas station footage.

Martin was taken into custody and during interviews with police, he told detectives about his release from the county jail at the Community Justice Campus earlier that day on an unrelated intoxicated driving case and said he went straight to the gas station after his discharge. He denied harming anyone and stated the Camry belonged to him. He then claimed to have been the target of identity fraud and someone had been buying cars under his name.

He then asked for an attorney and police ended the interview, court records read.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis crime: Carjacking suspect recently released from jail